“And Sometimes the Truth Hurts!”

Scripture: Luke 4:22-30

Last week, we were with Jesus when he returned to the Galilee and his home town of Nazareth. The welcome was, at first, enthusiastic, and the people were struck by the power of the teaching that he offered them. He read from the prophet Isaiah, and proclaimed that the prophesy had finally been fulfilled, that he is the One who Isaiah spoke of, the One who has been anointed to preach the good news to each and every one of them.

They were amazed; they were awestruck at his authoritative way and words. And to think that this was the boy they had know when he was just a lad! But the teaching would soon take a turn to issues that they didn’t want to hear about.

Read Luke 4:22-28

From enthralled to infuriated in a matter of moments!

Have you heard about the woman who went shopping with her daughter? The crowds were awful. She had to skip lunch because the schedule was so tight. She was tired, hungry; her feet were aching; and she was more than a little irritable. As they left the last store and headed for the car, she asked her daughter, “Did you see the nasty look that salesman gave me?”
Her daughter answered, “He didn't give it to you, Mom. You had it when you went in.”
- From Homiletics On Line

One might think that it was Jesus’ words that turned the crowd against him, but I think that it was the attitude that they already had that did the deed. Jesus didn’t tell them anything new – he just reminded them of what had already been and what it meant for them.

The story of the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17) came to be because of the unfaithfulness of Israel. There had been a succession of kings in Israel ever since the split had occurred in the kingdom, and each of them steadfastly refused to show honor to their God Jehovah. Elijah was raised up as one of the first prophets to call the nation to return to the Lord, and this drought came as a sign of their disobedience. The people suffered for years because of the lack of rain, but Elijah was sent many miles to the north, beyond Samaria, to a poor helpless widow and her son. But even as one of the “outsiders”, as the despised of Israel, she received the prophet, and trusted the words that he spoke to her, and she was fed throughout the days of the famine. And during that time, she would come to understand the power and grace of the Lord God Almighty through the healing of her son. And Israel never did.
The story of Naaman (2 Kings 5) was another story of faith, but not one that included anyone in Israel. Naaman was a great warrior who commanded the army of Aram, but he had leprosy. A slave girl of his wife’s who had been taken from Israel, told him of a great prophet, Elisha, who could cure his disease. In faith, he was told to bath in the Jordan 7 times, which eventually he did, and his skin was restored to perfection.

Neither of these people were from any of the twelve tribes of Israel. They were foreigners; they were unclean; they were seen as the enemies of God, not as those who should be blessed by him! And Jesus was reminding the people of Nazareth that things hadn’t changed all that much from the days of Elijah and Elisha.

And he reminds us that some things never change. There are many people I know, and I’m sure that you know some, too, who refuse to follow the Lord’s commands, and are able to justify to themselves and to others, why they shouldn’t have to. It’s true that Jesus rejected many of the laws of Israel, but they were solely those that involved ritual, those that called for “works”, the mandate that they do things in a particular way. Those are the things that Jesus told us to cast off.
But the things of faith, the moral commands of God, the ways we are to show love and respect and honor to both the Lord and to people of the earth - we were never told to let go of those. As a matter of fact, Jesus was constantly tightening them up, not relaxing them. It isn’t the things that go into our mouths that make us unclean, he would tell us, but the things that come out of our minds and hearts and mouths that make us unclean (Matthew 15:10-20) The “things” we do in the name of “religion” are nothing more than our feeble and futile attempts to please the Lord, and the way we show love for the things of earth, and reject the things of God, destroys any hope for a lasting relationship in him.

Read Luke 4:29-30

The people were so put off by Jesus’ speaking the truth about the depth of faith in others, and comparing it to their lack of true faith, that they were ready to shoot the messenger. Never mind the message – if they could just get rid of the one who was condemning their shallowness, everything would be OK again.

Sometimes the truth hurts, and we just don’t know what to do about it! When our long held beliefs are challenged, and when we are told in no uncertain terms that our ways are all wrong, and when we are confronted with the fact that others who we detest are right, and that we have to be more like them, our first reaction will always be denial.
“How can this idea possibly be true?” “How can anyone believe this dribble?” “Don’t they know that I’m right and this person is completely off base?” “They are just trying to demean everything that I know to be true!”
And our very next thought is to take action – any action – to stop the spread of this “heresy”. Shout down the false messenger, solicit support from as many people as we can, and, if necessary, throw the offender under the first bus that comes along.

But what should our response be? Why shouldn’t we strongly defend our position? After all, don’t we have a right to our own opinion? The truth is that there are a lot of unanswered questions in scripture, and a lot of room for discussion in the church, but there is also a very fine line between disagreement on the minute details of faith, and an outright denial of what an honest faith requires.
For Israel, their faith turns out to be a half-hearted, lukewarm attempt to honor their God. They claimed to be God’s people, they wanted the benefits that his grace could bring to their lives, but an outward expression of faith was better and easier to give than a deep and heartfelt allegiance to the Lord and his ways. And for many people of today, the same still holds true. It is far easier to live the appearance of faith, to live a lukewarm faith, than it is to actually live a life of honest faith.
Faith is tough! It means giving up the things we have always enjoyed doing. It means giving up our old ways. It means giving up the things that our friends will continue to do and who will question why we aren’t! Moving away from a life in life, and toward a life in Christ, means that it is no longer about our satisfaction, about the ways that bring us pleasure – it can only be about a life in Jesus and the ways that bring honor to him.
The people of Nazareth were intent on throwing the messenger off a cliff, but the time and way of his sacrifice had not yet come, and he simply walked away. The message had been offered and rejected, and so the messenger left the people to their own designs.

So what does this mean for us? Does this mean that unless we follow all of Jesus’ ways perfectly, we, too, will experience Jesus’ back? Does this mean that unless we change our worldly ways immediately and completely, that the glory of heaven will be lost to us forever?

In answer, I can only fall back on the word of scripture – words such as those:
Romans 5:8 – “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
John 14:6 – “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 3:16-18 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God sent his Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already ..”
Matthew 28:19-20 – “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I will be with you always, to the very end of the age.”

This is what these passages say to me.
First, that we are sinners, and that in our sin, we have no hope. But a way has been secured for us in Christ Jesus, and we can access that way by faith in him as the Son of God and as the one and only way to eternal life. This faith is the only means to the removal of our condemnation, and that without faith, the condemnation remains.
But our task doesn’t end with faith – faith is to enable us to evangelize the earth. We are the ones who are to share his gospel with those who do not yet believe. We are the ones who are to lead others to a baptism, to a life, in Christ, and all who believe are to learn the ways of Christ and are to live those ways to best of their ability. We are to learn the ways of God though Jesus’ words, but that doesn’t mean that we gain perfection. We are to learn his ways, but that doesn’t mean that we will always perfectly live them. Remember that we are still sinners, redeemed only by the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ.

The bottom line is this – we are unworthy, just as Israel and Judah were. And as with the people of Nazareth, we have been offered a way that carries us beyond our own helpless state. But “offered” is the key word – not only do we have to hear the offer, we also have to accept the offer.
Have you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Have you confessed your unworthiness to be a child of the King? Have you surrendered the things of life that do not reflect Jesus’ teaching?
If not, will you give the Lord your life today? Will you live a life, not in the world, but in the faith that Christ suffered and died and rose again to win for us?